Horse Racing

11:07 AM ET ESPN.com staff The 147th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Back in its usual May spot, the Derby will kick off the Triple Crown. Essential Quality drew the 14 post and opened as the morning-line favorite at 2-1, ahead of Rock Your World,

6:14 AM ET Associated Press Long before Kendrick Carmouche started riding horses growing up in Louisiana, Black jockeys were synonymous with the sport. Black riders were atop 13 of the 15 horses in the first Kentucky Derby in 1875 and won 15 of the first 28 editions of the race. Everything has changed since: Carmouche

1:22 PM ET ESPN News Services LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Essential Quality is the 2-1 morning-line favorite and will start from the No. 14 post for Saturday’s 147th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. The $3 million, 1 1/4-mile marquee race for 3-year-olds is back on the first Saturday of May after being delayed to Labor Day

4:11 PM ET Associated Press Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has successfully appealed his 15-day suspension to the Arkansas Racing Commission, allowing the six-time Kentucky Derby winner to resume preparations to run Medina Spirit in next weekend’s Derby. Baffert was fined and suspended last year by Arkansas stewards for a pair of drug positives

9:36 PM ET Associated Press ELMONT, N.Y. — The New York Racing Association said two horses died as the result of a fire Tuesday night on the backstretch at Belmont Park. NYRA said it responded to a barn fire at 6:05 p.m. and that 58 of the 60 horses under the care of trainers Wayne

10:20 PM ET Associated Press HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Super Stock won the $1 million Arkansas Derby by 2 1/2 lengths in an upset Saturday to earn a berth in next month’s Kentucky Derby. Ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., Super Stock covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.92 in front of 17,000 fans at Oaklawn Park.

6:24 PM ET Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. — Alice Headley Chandler, who founded Mill Ridge Farm and built a Hall of Fame career as a breeder of champion racing thoroughbreds, has died. She was 95. The farm stated in a release that Chandler died peacefully at home Tuesday. Her son Headley, Mill Ridge’s general manager,

1:23 AM ET Associated Press OZONE PARK, N.Y. — Bourbonic, a 72-1 long shot, stormed from the rear entering the stretch to edge Dynamic One by a head to win the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on Saturday and earn 100 points toward the Kentucky Derby. The colt trained by Todd Pletcher entered the nine-horse

8:34 PM ET Associated Press ARCADIA, Calif. — Rock Your World won the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby by 4 1/4 lengths on Saturday over 4-5 favorite Medina Spirit, preventing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert from earning his 10th win in the West Coast’s prep for the Kentucky Derby. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Rock Your

11:26 PM ET Associated Press HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Known Agenda owner Vincent Viola kept asking trainer Todd Pletcher the same question over the past few days. “Do you think we really have a shot in the Florida Derby?” Pletcher kept telling him the answer was yes. And the horse left no doubt. Known Agenda

2:31 PM ET Associated Press The Preakness will be run in front of a limited capacity of 10,000 fans at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on May 15. Organizers of the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown announced the decision Tuesday. Churchill Downs has said it expects the Kentucky Derby to be run in

1:18 PM ET Associated Press CHELTENHAM, England (AP) – Tiger Roll became a five-time winner at the Cheltenham Festival by powering to an 18-length victory in the Glenfarclas Chase on Wednesday. It was a return to form for a popular horse which has won the last two runnings of the Grand National Steeplechase — in

5:45 PM ET Associated Press CHELTENHAM, England — A horse from the yard of banned trainer Gordon Elliott won a race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival as the prestigious meeting began Tuesday without racegoers during the pandemic. Elliott was banned for 12 months — with the last six months suspended — after

8:48 PM ET Associated Press HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Concert Tour won the $1 million Rebel Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths on Saturday, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert yet another candidate in pursuit of his seventh Kentucky Derby victory. Ridden by Joel Rosario, Concert Tour ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43 to remain

7:45 AM ET Fouaad Mirza is meticulously checking temperatures twice a day and looking out for signs of cough and runny nose. The Olympic-bound Indian equestrian is following these close monitoring practices on his mare, Dajara 4, currently serving a 14-day quarantine period in Germany following the outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1). The International

11:21 PM ET Associated Press ARCADIA, Calif. — Life Is Good won the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes by eight lengths Saturday for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, affirming the 3-year-old colt’s status as the West Coast’s top Kentucky Derby hopeful. Ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, Life Is Good led all the way,

1:29 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — A virulent outbreak of equine herpes in eastern Spain has forced European equestrian events to be canceled across the continent. The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) said this week that it has canceled events in several European countries until March 28. The ban affects events in Spain,

2:42 PM ET Associated Press ALBANY, Calif. — A 4-year-old gelding and a 5-year-old mare have died in training incidents at Golden Gate Fields, the third and fourth thoroughbreds to die at the Northern California racetrack this year. The gelding named Sweet Boy died Saturday, and the California Horse Racing Board’s website lists it as